IAAF Council meets in Paris – agrees that race walkers will receive special awards for World Best Performances

Council agreed that although the two World Bests set in the Men’s 20km and 50km during these World Championships cannot yet be recognised as official IAAF World Records, the two athletes responsible for the marks, Jefferson Perez (ECU) and Robert Korzeniowski (POL) would receive awards of $100,000 each as a gesture of Fair Play. The presentations will be made in the Stade de France before the end of the Championships.

JON DRUMMOND AFFAIR

Council officially endorsed the decision of the Competition Director to disqualify Jon Drummond from taking further part in this competition, for behaviour likely to bring the sport into disrepute, following his refusal to accept a disqualification for a false start in the quarter finals of the 100m. Council now expects to receive a report after a full investigation into the behaviour of Drummond, and USATF Admin Officer Michael Cain who is alleged to have advised the athlete not to accept his disqualification, before the next Council Meeting on 22-23 November in Berlin.

Council also agreed that a clearly defined procedure needed to be established to avoid repetition of such incidents in future. Among the specific procedures that are being considered are to:

Remove the blocks immediately from the lane of a disqualified athlete;

Remove the disqualified athlete’s name from the onscreen start list (or add a “dq”)

Ensure that the announcers and in-stadium presenters are proactive in explaining the rules both before the event starts and when athletes are disqualified;

Ensure that the in-stadium screens – which are controlled by the Competition Organisers – do not show footage that is misleading or can incite the crowd;

Ask starters to use their discretion to avoid disqualifying more than one athlete at the same time, but aim to disqualify only the instigator of each false start.

Ask starters to warn “flinchers” who seek to provoke their rivals into making false starts, and to disqualify them if they do so repeatedly.

IAAF – USATF

Council discussed publication of an article in the LA Times revealing the identity of a US athlete who allegedly competed at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 after being cleared of a doping offence.

As is widely known, the IAAF sought disclosure from its US Member, USATF, of the names of a number of unidentified athletes, including the athlete from the Sydney Olympic Games, together with all related documents, as part of an arbitration procedure that was conducted before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne in November 2002.

In that case, the CAS Panel found that, although IAAF Rules required the disclosure of such information, there were valid reasons in the circumstances why disclosure should not now be made.

The IAAF was never informed of the name of the Sydney athlete as the arbitration was concerned with the principle of disclosure not with establishing the individual identity of any athlete.

The IAAF and USATF agreed prior to the arbitration that the CAS decision would be final and binding on both parties. Accordingly, respecting the CAS decision, and in the absence of voluntary disclosure of the information or an admission by the athlete in question, the IAAF is not in a position to take any further action in the matter at this time.

For the first time ever, a poll is being held to elect 12 athletes to the IAAF Athletes’ Commission (7 other athletes, including a Chairperson, will be appointed by Council).

The Polling booths were opened on 25 August and elections continue on the 29th and 30th.

Council noted with satisfaction that 722 athletes have already voted on the first day of polling, which is close to 50% of the capacity of the Athletes’ Village. Results will be announced before the end of the Championships.

Council also agreed to reconfirm Prof Arne Ljungqvist (SWE) as IAAF Senior Vice-President and to make Igor Ter-Ovanesian (RUS) an Honorary Life Member of the IAAF.